Mofos reunite for Haunt show

With their blend of surf and metal influences, the Mofos were one of my favorite Ithaca bands during their decade-long heyday that started in 1998. Guitarist Gary Siperko, bassist Eric Trichon, and drummers Brian Wilson and Matt Saccuccimorano were known for their high-velocity, high-volume shows that featured well-crafted instrumentals that were mutant spawn of the Ventures and Black Sabbath.

“The original inspiration came, for me, from a variety of sources: ‘60s instrumental guitar music, Hendrix, classic rock stuff and whole bunch more,” said Siperko, who wrote the band’s songs. The group released two albums, “Six Pack Performance” and “Supercharged on Alcohol,” and recorded a third in 2009 that hasn’t yet been released.

After Siperko moved back to his native Ohio, the band eventually dissolved in 2010. But Friday night, the Mofos will reunite for a show at the Haunt that will feature all four members. The first set will feature Wilson on drums, the second will be Saccuccimorano (he joined the band in 2005, after Wilson began touring around the world with Jamie Lidell), and then they’ll all join forces — just as they did one time at their legendary Chapter House show that featured double drummers.

The reunion ignited this summer, when Siperko returned in June to play at the Haunt with Pere Ubu, the Cleveland-based art-rock band that grew out of Rocket from the Tombs (another group with which has played with for several years). They all met up prior to the show at Wilson’s house and laid the groundwork for Friday’s show.

“When Gary came to the Haunt, I hadn’t talked to him for maybe five years,” said Trichon, who has been busy running two restaurants (Cent Dix and Mercato) and raising his kids. “I told him we should do a Mofos show, it would be really fun, and everyone would enjoy doing it.”

The members convened for a pair of rehearsals last weekend — one with each drummer — and quickly found their groove together.

“It was easy for me to step back into playing this stuff,” Siperko said. “It's nice playing with these guys again as I think we are all on the same page musically. We all have a broad, eclectic ranges of musical interests, many of which overlap.”

“It really sounds like it did years ago,” said Trichon, who always wore a Ramones T-shirt onstage with the Mofos. “There’s no change. I just feel like I’ll never change. I’ll always be a punk rocker at heart, so no matter what I play, it’s always going to have that conviction. Brian, Matt and Gary all have the same thing. You just have to play with conviction.”

“Gary made a joke that it was like riding a bike. It is when you’ve been practicing your ass off for a month, but it was pretty comfortable,” Saccuccimorano said. “Remembering the songs is pretty easy, but the pure physicality of the technique and executing them correctly will continue to be a challenge, especially at adrenalized tempos.”

But it’s fun, too. “I love the panic of it,” Saccuccimorano said. “There’s no precision to it all. That’s what I want from music — some sense of danger.”

“Gearing up for this has been a challenge, but it’s been really good for me,” he added. “I haven’t played like this in years.”

Johnny Dowd at the Sex Robots, just back from three weeks of touring Europe, will open the 9 p.m. show. Cover is $10. Visit www.thehaunt.com to learn more.

Haunt is hopping

The local scene has been crazy busy in recent weeks, especially with all of last week’s punk-related events. That trend will continue, with three big shows at the Haunt early next week.

Reel Big Fish performs Monday at the Haunt.(Photo: Provided)

Monday, Orange County ska legends Reel Big Fish will make their long-awaited return, marking the 20th anniversary of their album “Turn the Radio Off.”

“We will be performing the whole album from beginning to end at all the shows on this tour,” the band writes on its website, www.reel-big-fish.com. “We’ll also be playing lots of other RBF classics and fan favorites for those weirdos out there who don’t really like this album.” The band also spent this summer on the Vans Warped Tour. Masked Intruder will open the 7 p.m. all-ages show. Advance tickets are $20; at the door, admission is $23.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers play Tuesday at the Haunt.(Photo: Provided)

Tuesday, the Squirrel Nut Zippers will visit the Haunt. The retro jazz band played at Cornell in the mid-1990s just when they were taking off, and returned to the State Theatre a few years ago. The band is marking the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough album, “Hot,” which produced the hit single “Hell.” Founding members Jimbo Mathus and Chris Phillips have put together a new lineup that features singer Ingrid Lucia from the Flying Neutrinos. Learn more at www.snzippers.com. Advance tickets are $25; at the door, admission is $30.

Wednesday, the Infamous Stringdusters will return to the Haunt. The Colorado-based bluegrass band includes Binghamton native Andy Hall.

“What we do is a hybrid of the improvisational and bluegrass worlds. We take a lot of pride in that. While our music is our own concept, hopefully it does justice to the amazing components of the bluegrass world,” says Stringdusters frontman Chris Pandolfi. “We love to present what we do but we always call on the bluegrass world of chops, technique, and traditions.” Visit www.thestringdusters.com to learn more. Advance tickets are $20; at the door, admission is $25.

The Haunt also has a cool triple bill Sunday night, with Brooklyn psychedelic pop artist Sam Kogon teaming with locals Imperials and the Sunshine Group. Admission is $10 for the 9 p.m. show.

There are a bunch of other cool show this week, including Ithaca Underground’s November Music Series that runs Thursday through Saturday at the Community School of Music and Arts, and the back-to-back tribute shows at the State Theatre — Dark Star Orchestra (Grateful Dead) and The Machine (Pink Floyd) — Thursday and Friday (read about these elsewhere in Go).

And here are a few other suggestions:

•Thursday, Raven and the Wren, a great roots band from Central Pennsylvania, will return to Casita del Polaris, where they’ll once again team with Laila Belle, the local band led by Ward and Amy Puryear. There’s no cover for the 9 p.m. show, but donations are welcome.

Heather Maloney will perform Thursday at the Dock.(Photo: Provided)

•Thursday, Heather Maloney will perform at the Dock with her “ProjecTour” show, her first ever multimedia, interactive live concert experience.

“Maloney has written dozens of new, unreleased songs over the past year,” according to her website. “Audience members will join in the immersive audio-visual ProjecTour, where throughout the show the lyrics to each new song will be projected behind her as she plays, along with a mood-board style vintage art inspired by the stories and characters in the new material.”

Her last album “Making Me Break” was produced by Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses, Avett Brothers, Lissie, Laila Belle), former bassist with Donna the Buffalo. Admission is $15 for the 8 p.m. show. Visit www.heathermaloney.com to learn more.

•Friday, Grace Stumberg will return to the Dock. You might have seen her with Joan Baez at the State Theatre recently; the Buffalo-based singer-songwriter also has been an excellent reputation in her hometown. Visit www.gracestumberg.com to learn more. Local favorite Beverly Stokes, who released her debut CD earlier this year, will open the 9 p.m. show. Cover is $13.

•The Range has a couple of cool shows this weekend. Friday, the New York Rock and Stranded with a Kiss will team for a big rock show at 9 p.m., while Rebecca and the Soul Shakers will perform Saturday night. There’s no cover at the Range; visit www.therangeithaca.com to learn more.

•If you’re a Queen fan, check out Symphoria’s symphonic-rock tribute to Queen Saturday at Syracuse Landmark Theatre. There will be a full rock band, live orchestra and vocals by Brody Dolyniuk of Windborne’s “The Music of Queen.” You can expect to hear the classics "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Fat-Bottomed Girls," "We Will Rock You," "Bicycle Race," "Don't Stop Me Now," "Killer Queen" and "We Are The Champions." Tickets start at $15. For more information, visit www.experiencesymphoria.org.

•Saturday, Mulberry Soul will perform at the Rongovian Embassy as part of their “Songs from a Room” tour. The Finger Lakes band blends old-time, folk and bluegrass influences to create a distinctive sound. There’s a cover for the 9 p.m. show. Visit www.rongovianembassy.com to learn more.

•Sunday, Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton will perform on Bound for Glory. The pair released an excellent album titled “Tractor Beam” a few years ago, and have continued to hone their blend of folk, old-time, country and original songs through regular touring. There’s no cover for the 8 p.m. show, which is broadcast live from the Café in Cornell’s Anabel Taylor Hall on WVBR (93.5 FM, wvbr.com). Visit www.boundforglory.org to learn more.

•Tuesday, Arlo Guthrie will perform at the Smith Opera House in Geneva. The folk-rock legend has made scores of visits to Central New York over the years, but it’s always nice to see him in a classy setting like the Smith. Tickets are $39-$49. Visit www.thesmith.org for information.

Catalano has covered the local music scene since 1992. Follow him on Twitter @IthacaMusicNews, and email him at jimcat@aol.com.